We believe that every child has the right to play in safety. Play is fundamental to a child’s enjoyment of their childhood, to their health, and to their development.

We are an organisation dedicated to helping add hope and play to the lives of Palestinian children who are denied these most basic rights. We do this by building spaces to play, offering learning opportunities and providing trauma support to children.

We operate in the villages and refugee camps under occupation in the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza Strip, and in Lebanon. 

We were established in 2008 by Iyas AlQasem, who remains a trustee of the charity alongside Saskia Marsh and Tony Rahman. Iyas, who is of Palestinian descent, is a former executive in a Fortune 500 company. Saskia is a former UN official who was based in Gaza between 2006 and 2009. Tony is Director of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at the Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. 

Hope and Play is registered with Companies House in the UK as a company limited by guarantee number 06318127. We are registered as a charity with the UK Charity Commission and our charity number is 1125609.

How we work

The Canaan Institute’s values are embodied by its director, Issa Saaba, who has tirelessly advocated for the rights – but also the responsibilities – of Gaza’s youth for the past 30 years. Canaan has led activities for hundreds of thousands of children, and from 2008 to 2010 was a core partner for the UN’s Summer Games programme, which reached 250,000 children each summer.

We work with other trusted partners who are established in the communities in the West Bank, and in other communities of displaced Palestinians – for example in the refugee camps in Lebanon.

Charity governance

Hope and Play’s trustees retain oversight of all activities, maintain compliance with UK Charity Commission regulations and support with fundraising, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting to donors.

Trustees cover all administrative costs of Hope and Play and work on a voluntary basis. We do not retain any funds for overheads or management.

All donations (minus transaction costs) go directly into our activities and programmes.

We are always pleased to hear from supporters. For more information, or to ask any questions, please contact us on [email protected].